A SENIOR Labour AM announced yesterday that he is to stand against his party at the National Assembly election.

A SENIOR Labour AM announced yesterday that he is to stand against his party at the National Assembly election.

Wrexham AM John Marek will stand as an independent in the constituency after Labour replaced him with his former secretary as its candidate for the May election.

Dr Marek, the Assembly's deputy presiding officer, said his last-ditch appeal to London Labour chiefs to reinstate him had failed and he was left with no choice but to stand against the party.

"I am going to stand as an independent," he said.

"I will probably now be expelled from the Labour Party."

Labour has dismissed Dr Marek's chance of winning the seat but he said he was confident of remaining Wrexham's AM.

"I have had many hundreds of letters and e-mails of support and I am confident that Wrexham people will back me and will understand that I have been the victim of a vicious campaign of smears and lies," he said.

Dr Marek agreed to seek re-selection after a series of rows with local party members. He has repeatedly upset local party figures with his out-spoken criticism of councillors. He has also upset colleagues at the Welsh Assembly.

He caused controversy by urging the Communication Workers Union to stop funding the Labour Party if it did not agree with the party's policies.

And he surprised fellow AMs by standing against Labour's official candidate, Rosemary Butler, in the vote to become deputy presiding officer.

He subsequently lost the selection battle to his former secretary Lesley Griffiths.

A Labour investigation into his claims of a smear campaign found there had been no wrongdoing.

With the backing of his trade union, the RMT, he asked Labour general secretary David Triesman this week to look into his claims.

But Dr Marek said party officials had declined to help him.

Dr Marek held talks with Rail, Maritime and Transport union general secretary Bob Crow on Monday.

The union would put its links with Labour at risk if it gave Dr Marek financial backing to stand as an independent but a union spokesman said that was still possible.

Dr Marek said he was confident the union would support his political aims.